The invention relates to a method for the integration of a plurality of automation components in a uniform running level model of a respective runtime system of an industrial controller.
Today, it is customary, both for stored-program control (SPC) and for motion control (MC) systems, to have hierarchical running levels, and to have different software applications for controlling the respective technical processes. The software applications used today may be user-programmed, or they can have built-in system functions.
It is known from DE 197 40 550 A1 that process control functionalities of the stored-program controllers and motion functionalities of MC controllers can be integrated in a uniform configurable control system.
This SPC/MC integration is obtained by using SPC and MC control modules. However, when the integration is carried out in such a way, an optimum and efficient task structure is not achieved for all control tasks. Furthermore, mostly the classic MC functionalities are supported with this type of integration for machine tools, whereas other requirements for the controller, as they are known from the operation of production machines, are not optimally supported by this type of interconnection of SPC and MC control modules.
In German application DE 19 93 19 33.2 a communication system clock is used between the PC system and the peripheral devices to change between a real-time operating program and a non-real-time operating program. In this case, it is the task of this communication system clock to allow the smoothest possible change between real-time and non-real-time applications in an industrial process. In this configuration, however, the basic clock is only derived from the clock of the communication medium and is only used for changing the operating system mode of a PC system.
Accordingly there remains a need for the integration of a plurality of automation components in a uniform running level model of a respective run time systems in an industrial controller.
An object of the present invention is to create optimum distinctive characteristics of an industrial controller for an industrial controller having different control tasks and different boundary conditions or requirements of the underlying technical process, which provides both SPC and MC functionality or the functionalities of further automation components.